We have made it to day 60 of lockdown. It's been 60 days confined to our homes; having our lives placed on pause and uncertainty becoming a close friend. The day on which this all started, 9 weeks ago, with all of South Africa looking on as our President declared a national state of disaster, seems forever ago and at the same time just like yesterday. We were scared and yet, as only South Africans can, we got geared for the, what we thought would be, three-week lockdown. People stocked up on canned food, cigarettes and alcohol for three weeks. If you were an over-achiever or pessimist you maybe would have stocked up for five. We did our best to emotionally prepare and say our see you soons to those we love. I didn't know what would happen after those initial three weeks, I knew things wouldn't just miraculously go back to normal, but I didn't spend too much time thinking what it could be like if those three weeks were lengthened into nine- we were all just too busy frantically buying hand sanitizer and toilet paper. Whilst we were all trying to get used to our new normal lives, the days have ticked on, and so, here we are, finding ourselves at the brink of week 10. Having reached this milestone, I'm not sure whether we should smile or cry. Either way, we're here.
Throughout this lockdown period we, as a society as well as individually, have gone through many different stages. Panic has turned into an unsettled calm. We have been faced with uncertainty, anger, sadness, anxiety, confusion, acceptance, gratefulness, annoyance or all of the above. We haven't necessarily all faced these stages at the same time or with the same intensity. I could be stuck on anxiety whilst Mike is having a day of gratefulness. It all continuously fluctuates. However, now and again it appears as if everyone's journeys coincide, creating a uniform, national emotion that one could feel all around you. On that day, the very atmosphere surrounding you and every stranger's face could tell you: today, everyone is feeling just a bit freaked out and anxious. During these last two weeks, it has appeared as if the whole nation has been stuck on the same phase: enough is enough. We are finally on the verge of phase 3 and it couldn't have come a day too soon. People are tired of seeing the economy crumble, of being left wanting and being stuck between four walls. People's desperation has now overpowered their fear. What good is it to stay safe indoors, when you are in any case going to die of hunger? Conspiracy theories doubled and spread like wildfire, gripping people into a state of frenzy. Everywhere you could see people starting to disregard the regulations and take more chances with a drastic increase in cars on the road and neighbours turning blind eyes to visiting loved ones. On a personal level, I am slowly completing the metamorphosis from a person continuously in pj's to someone who sometimes looks half-decent. I now generally wear, what Mike calls, my human clothes (which is basically comfy jeans and a jersey). I have to admit though that by 15:00 I'm either in my gym clothes or back into my pj's. I still haven't worn jewellery of any kind and make-up only occurs on the rare occasions where I have to go outside, such as the exciting days I get to go to the pharmacy to pick up my monthly prescription. I have been to the mall to get some winter essentials, but it definitely did not constitute retail therapy. Standing in the winding rows to finally get into the shops; walking past the empty restaurants, saying a quick prayer for the waiters and waitresses, hoping that they are okay, and each time you go seeing a new closed down sign upon a once favourite store. We're living in the year where the world stood still and it truly has had some tragic consequences.
Mike and I are somewhat used to all the cleaning and have fallen into a routine. Although I will admit that there is still a lot of moaning and groaning when dishes need to be cleaned or floors need to be washed. And don't even get me started on what it takes to coerce Mike into helping fold bedding. The puppies are used to seeing us all day and loving every moment of it. The only issue is that Frankie has now developed the habit of closing my laptop with his paw if I don't give him what he deems to be sufficient attention. Mike and I are still working from home and are being forced to learn some difficult lessons regarding financial constraints. We have had to make some hard decisions regarding cutting luxuries as the lockdown continues and takes its toll. Although these aren't always lessons that one wants to learn, we are also grateful that this has happened now, when we are young and don't have so many responsibilities. These lessons were bound to pop up some time and we would prefer to learn them sooner rather than later. Mike has been forced to work twice as hard and come up with creative solutions to increasing problems. My work is still carrying on at full steam, but with some added social elements with virtual drinks and virtual quiz nights being implemented to ensure that everyone stays sane and connected. Though these additions have been a lot of fun, when it comes to staying connected, they haven't been necessary as we are probably more connected than we have been when we were all in the same office. We have had an increase in meetings and general communications. We have numerous Whatsapp groups, blogs, fitness sessions and challenges and so much more. This period has forced most company's to reach towards new innovations and hopefully, these innovations will continue once all of this is over. I have also had the added pressure of balancing work with studying as board exams slowly start approaching. I am truly proud of the fact that I have stayed away from online shopping. I have never been an online shopper to begin with as I have always preferred seeing and feeling the objects that I want to buy. That being said, my resolve has started to crumble and I find myself more and more on online shopping sites as my need for retail therapy increases. I am truly thankful that all shops will soon be open once more. A couple of weeks ago, you couldn't find a heading without "Covid" in it, but now some other news is starting to trickle into the trends. Although this has been a much-appreciated change, not all news has been good news. It has included the liquidation or business rescue of entities such as Edgars and even the Pretoria Bar. Racism has once more taken the spotlight after the heinous murder of George Floyd by a white police officer. Although Covid has done the impossible by halting the entire world and letting the earth take a breather; it still lacks the power to overturn humans' unfounded hatred. Not all news has been disastrous though, with news such as SpaceX being launched, that can give us hope once more.
We are now at the doorstep of phase 3. We have a lot more freedom and more importantly a lot more economic activity. The only industries that are still closed are pubs, gyms, beauticians and restaurants. Masks have become a must-have accessory. The curfew has disappeared. Alcohol can now be sold. Although most South Africans rejoiced at the news; I cannot help but think of those women and children stuck in abusive households, who will now be stuck with a more dangerous, drunk abuser. GBV-cases had already been on the rise and I dread to think what this change will do to the statistics. There is a palpable sense of relief, however, we appear to have even more confusing policies than before. We are still not allowed to visit loved ones and yet 50 people may go to church, but may not sing along. People are allowed to buy alcohol, but not cigarettes, resulting in thousands upon thousands of rands being lost. We are allowed to buy take-aways and walk around in shops with only a trolley as a buffer and yet we may not sit in a socially-distant manner at a restaurant or have one person come over to do your nails or hair. The regulations regarding schools re-opening changes on a daily basis. Tomorrow would have been the day that grade 7's and matrics would finally go back to school and yet today it appears to have been postponed. I cannot even begin to imagine parents' frustration and fears or students' broken hearts as most of their final year, the year that they have been looking forward to for so long, just simply slips away and their futures become more and more uncertain. It appears that unfortunately there is a big percentage of parents who are refusing to let their children go back to school no matter how many safety regulations are put into place. The court cases against the government are increasing daily, placing more and more pressure on an already somewhat overwhelmed judiciary. Despite the increase in freedom; we also now have an increase in risk. We have a total of 30 967 cases and the death toll has increased to 642, whilst the number of recoveries stands at 16 116. The number of cases has started to rise more drastically and we can only expect it to get much worse. The only hope we have is that our health care system does not completely get flooded.
What the next phase will bring, we do not know. We pleaded with the government for more freedom and they have given it to us, what the repercussions thereof will be, only time will tell. Hopefully, when we are standing on the edge of stage 2, we will be more inclined to smile rather than cry.